In my prior patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,548, I described and claimed a method of augmenting printed word symbols and numbers to provide a rapid and effective way to teach reading. The augmenting of words was done manually and resulted in a labor-intensive process. Every word that a student has difficulty reading must be displayed in the augmented orthography. For beginning readers, this means every word, but even advanced readers benefit from the augmented presentation for those words they have difficulty with. The method provides the student with a strategy for recognizing words in their correct spelling. The words are augmented with visual and phonological aids which enable the reader to quickly process the word. The system is a tool for unlocking new words. 9000 word cards to teach word recognition were developed. The augmenting of these words was done manually and resulted in a labor intensive process. Because of the time consuming process it was impossible to translate or augment a meaningful amount of text material.
Research and experience with the symbols and numbers systems show that students gradually become fluent in reading ordinary (non-augmented) text, because along with word recognition skills, the system teaches grouping, tracking, phonics and word analysis skills.
To use this system more effectively with students in grades 1-12, materials in the content area such as textbooks augmented with symbols and numbers are needed. Students would then be able to keep up with their school work while gaining fluency in standard reading materials. The coded materials would provide a kind of intermediate Braille for the functionally illiterate and/or learning disabled student.
There is a need for a machine to generate the necessary reading materials so that the beginning readers, functional illiterates, and dyslexics can not only learn to read but also keep up in school or trade while they learn and build their skills and confidence.
To attempt to generate the necessary materials without a machine would be so labor and time intensive that it would not be practical.